The Jock, The Nerd and The Geek

2

"But he's right, tesoro." Abuela walked in, her eyes shining with love at the girl who ate her food like it was the best thing in the world. "I could make another for you after school."

"Nah, all your foods are like important." Then she elbowed Marcos and nudged her head towards his Abuela. "Eros, babe, defend me."

He obliged. "Um, yeah, they're important."

"See?" Alex asked.

Marcos watched his Abuela smile, then give a small sigh, saying in Spanish. "Oh darling, the way you look under all those clothes makes me wonder if that Mother of yours feeds you enough."

Of course Alex didn't understand, but he did. No one, except Marcos knew about the fact she had a love-hate relationship with her body, and he knew she probably was in the hate stage where she wanted to hide it forever.

Plus, any talk of Adriana Parker was forbidden. Even he, didn't dare mention the name unless she did.

Marcos watched her scrap the last bits of food into her mouth and chugged it down with a glass of orange juice before standing to her feet and saying to the old woman who was now sitting some feet away from them. "Abuela. I think you'd like to look away now, or you might see something quite disgusting."

The woman kept her her face down to her knitting and continued her work silently.

"Now, you."

Marcos watched his girlfriend bend to his ear, her knee in between his thighs as she whispered. "I know you didn't do your homework and we both know how important that was, so after school, I expect you in my room, kneeling completely naked. Do you understand that, whore?"

She sounded completely different from the same girl who had compared it to cookies. And he loved it. "Y-Yes."

Alex moved away and patted him on his head. "Good boy."

If he was white, which he wasn't, his cheeks would probably be as red as a tomato but he wasn't so instead he managed to bend his down to hide the fact he was about to combust from pure joy.

Though his happiness died when he heard his Mother walk in and say with a snort. "Oh, she's still here."

Alex, as always, was a perfectly polite individual to Maria Gomez, even though the woman liked to act like Alex was the worst thing in the world. "Buenos dias, Seniorita."

Maria Gomez had a frown on her face. She used to be a beautiful woman, once when lite wasn't hard, when her husband didn't die and just leave them in debt. "You're saying it wrong."

Dios mio. Not today.

Alex's smile didn't waver. "Or your son isn't teaching me right. And by the way," She turned to him and kissed him on his forehead. "I gotta go."

He didn't want to be left alone now. "You could just wait for me and—."

"Nah, you eat too slow." She was at the door already. "Bye Abuela, Mrs Gomez."

His Abuela gave a happy wave while his Nother gave out another snort, the action reminding him about something.

"Oh, Mama?"

"Si?"

"Yes, baby?"

Marcos thought his heart would jump out of his chest at the rate it was beating as his girlfriend and Mother stared at each other before he said . "When should I be there?"

Alex faced him again. "After school."

His Mother, as always, did her utmost best to keep them apart. "He has work after school."

"Yes. I know, with me." Maria looked like she'd slap the notepad in her hand on Alex's face who chuckled at him. "He'd know how to fix it."

Which translated to, 'I dare you to be late.'

He swallowed and nodded.

After she was gone, his Nother set down the pad on the table and walked to his Abuela, now speaking in Spanish again. "You can't tell me that you didn't see that?"

"I am knitting, girl."

"She was rude."

His Abuela kept working furiously without looking up. "She was defending herself from your viciousness."

"Me? Vicious? I'm nothing like that. That girl, she's just not good enough for my Marcos."

"I think that Marcos is old enough to choose who he wants in his life."

"Yes, but he's a teenager, and they're known for mistakes."

"Same thing I thought about his Father, and didn't you marry him?"

Marcos nearly choked on his food at the words but managed to hold himself back as he heard his Mama say, "The point is, he could do better. He's so beautiful, I'm sure he could bring back a good natured, responsible, Spanish speaking boy home."

"Dear lord, I've never seen a woman so disappointed to find out her son didn't like men."

"Mama, look at them. They're the oddest thing since this apps that claim to find your soulmate. I mean, who's actually the girl?"

Marcos decided he had enough.

His chair made a loud scraping noise as he stood, his Mama and Abuela turning to look at him as he said, "Thank you for the food." Then walked out the door without giving his habitual kisses.

As soon as he was outside, he noticed the weather was cold. Alex probably knew about that and that's why she made him wear the sweater. The thought brought a smile to his face.

"What you smiling at, Amigo?"

Marcos looked to the other end of the road, where his only friend and school transport, Ace Danvers then joined him, the smile now gone. "Nothing."

"Hey, hey." The male blocked him, which wasn't fair, cause he was long as a pole. "I'm not going to carry a pouty looking baby on my bike before you throw a tantrum midway and we crash. I can't die. I haven't kissed Angelina Jolie yet."

Marcos tilted his head. "Isn't she like older—.?"

"There's a reason why I want to be an anthropologist." Ace cut in. "Why are you looking so down now? You were happy like a second ago."

"Can we talk in school?" Marcos asked, licking his lower lip. "I can feel their eyes penetrating the back of my head."

"Oh, yeah. Yeah, but no tantrums, okay? Infact you know what?" The male brought out something from his pockets and placed in Marcos' palm. "Here."

Another smile was fighting a way to his face. "Candy?"

"Yeah, you can suck on it like a pacifier or something." Ace replied.

"I'm not a baby —."

"Suck on it."

Marcos stared. It wasn't like this was the first time this was happening. Ace liked to treat him like he was five, not that he blamed the male, he just wasn't good with social interactions and stuff.

It was one reason why Marcos was his only friend, so to make him happy, did as he asked.

"Good baby. Now, recite your alphabets—."

Marcos laughed now. "Ace, please."

"Was just kidding," The boy threw his helmet at Marcos who caught it and smiled. "Hop in, Gomez."